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August 11, 2026
 

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SUPPLY CHAINS

U.S. President Donald Trump during an American mining industry roundtable discussion at the State Department in Washington on Friday
BUSINESS
Aug 8, 2026
U.S. to invest $3 billion in minerals projects to boost supply chains
Minerals including rare earths, tungsten, germanium and scandium are essential for precision-guided missiles and other advanced weapons.
Pedestrians walk past the SK Hynix headquarters in Icheon on July 29. SK Hynix has facilities in Dalian and Wuxi in China.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 5, 2026
Samsung and SK Hynix test Chinese chip tools as hedge against U.S. risks
They are wary that future ?restrictions could extend beyond new equipment ?to the servicing, repair or replacement of Western tools already installed at their Chinese plants.
U.S. solar manufacturing has expanded since Congress created tax incentives in 2022.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 5, 2026
U.S. weighs polysilicon tariffs to counter China in solar and chips
The decision, expected to come later this month, aims to protect U.S. polysilicon factories from growing Chinese ambitions in the chip supply chain.
A recent cyberattack impeded systems at major Japanese frozen food maker Nichirei, significantly affecting related industries, including restaurant chains.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2026
Japan adopts cybersecurity policy for early threat detection
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi voiced her hopes for Japan to have ¡°one of the world¡¯s highest levels of cyber defense¡± during a cybersecurity meeting.
Crushed ore before it is sent to the mill at the MP Materials rare earth mine in Mountain Pass, California, in 2020
BUSINESS
Jul 28, 2026
Trump may need to allow Chinese minerals as U.S. industry struggles to meet 2027 deadline
Partnerships with South Korea and Japan may offer a bridge for manufacturers until U.S. suppliers can ramp up operations.
A container ship bound for the Strait of Malacca enters the Singapore Strait, near Asia's southern most point in Johor, Malaysia.
WORLD
Jul 22, 2026
Hormuz, Malacca and other key straits spawn tensions throughout history
As Iran tightens its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, its Yemeni allies, the Houthi rebels, want to disrupt shipping in the Red Sea.
Nichirei headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday
BUSINESS
Jul 18, 2026
Nichirei to fully resume operations as early as next week
The company on Friday partially restarted operations at refrigerated warehouses and food factories, by accepting limited orders from client companies.
Industry minister Ryosei Akazawa says the government will consider stockpiling naphtha.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 16, 2026
Japan considering stockpiling naphtha again
The country procures 40% of its naphtha, a raw material for plastic products and paints, through imports from the Middle East.
The Aeon supermarket chain saw stock shortages due to a supply disruption following a cyberattack on food distributor Nichirei.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 16, 2026
Nichirei getting back online after cyberattack hit KFC supplies
Cyberattacks are becoming a recurring operational risk for Japanese companies, with incidents increasingly disrupting more than just internal IT systems.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan says it may scale back its menu after a system failure at one of its logistics contractors disrupted food deliveries to stores across the country.
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2026
KFC Japan may cut menu as logistics outage disrupts deliveries
The fast-food giant says product shortages, reduced menus and changes to opening hours are possible due to the disruption.
China had previously restricted the import of Nvidia's H200 chips on concerns that a flood of American-designed AI processors would hinder the government¡¯s long-held goal of developing an indigenous chip industry.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 9, 2026
Beijing to let Chinese AI companies buy Nvidia H200 chips
The companies need to say how many chips they need ¡ª and why ¡ª to get approval.
Workers transport soil containing rare earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, in China's Jiangsu province. China dominates the global market for rare earths and it is using those supplies as a diplomatic cudgel.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 7, 2026
Corporate Â鶹´«Ã½ rare-earth warnings get louder as China keeps spigot closed
As the economy strengthens, an unprecedented increase in company notices about critical ?minerals is flashing a warning signal for the quarters ahead.
A Taiwan Coast Guard ship patrols near Dadan Island in Kinmen County, Taiwan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2026
A Taiwan crisis and America¡¯s faltering industrial base
Weaknesses in the U.S. defense industrial base no longer represent a mere economic issue; they now pose an immediate strategic vulnerability.
Samples of rare earth luminescent materials displayed at an exhibition on China¡¯s manufacturing achievements at the National Museum in Beijing in March
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 24, 2026
China¡¯s mineral squeeze testing Â鶹´«Ã½ military buildup
The restrictions are exposing vulnerabilities in Â鶹´«Ã½ defense-industrial supply chains while also providing the clearest test yet of Tokyo¡¯s push to bolster economic security.
China¡¯s designation prohibits these U.S. companies from access to items that can be used for both commercial and military purposes.
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2026
China targets U.S. rare earths firms in response to Pentagon list
China¡¯s designation prohibits these U.S. companies from access to items that can be used for both commercial and military purposes.
Stacks of aluminum ingots at a stockyard in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, China
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 22, 2026
Aluminum¡¯s war shock blunted by dark transits and Chinese supply
Indonesia has also been instrumental in keeping the global market in check as buyers wait for exports to rebound.
A sample of dysprosium oxide.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2026
China¡¯s key minerals exports to Japan stay at low levels in May
Exports of some key types of tungsten, as well as rare-earths dysprosium and terbium, stayed at zero in May, according to Chinese customs data.
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz are seen near a beach in Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 18, 2026
Wave of Persian Gulf oil set to leave Asian refiners swamped
The situation is a stark reversal from the early stages of the Iran war, when prices were spiking and the oil market was warning of dramatic shortages.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference at the Group of Seven summit, in Evian, France, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 18, 2026
In G7 debut, Takaichi puts economic security at heart of Japanese diplomacy
The prime minister¡¯s clearest imprint came in the area of critical minerals, where bloc leaders agreed to step up cooperation on supply-chain resilience and stockpiling.
An employee of Fuchu Car, a repair shop in suburban Tokyo, works on a "pearl white" body car at their workshop. The lustrous finish is one of the most popular colors for cars in Japan and increasingly difficult for the repair shop to obtain.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 17, 2026
U.S.-Iran deal may not bring quick relief for auto shops
Auto shops in Tokyo and Detroit car dealerships have been running low on motor oil, paint and other products for months since the Middle East conflict snarled global supply chains.
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Speaking Japanese at the movies with ¡®Chiikawa¡¯
A "Chiikawa The Movie" poster is seen at Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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